Cafe de l'Etoile
by dandelion-tea
Summary: A chance meeting between two strangers. One is a waitress at Cafe de l'Etoile, and the other is a customer found standing in the rain. What could their stories be?
1. The Meeting

_The Meeting_

The wind howled and rammed against the window as Yami stared blankly out it, his cold fingers tightly wrapped around a half-empty coffee mug. He watched droplet after droplet of light rain sprinkle the foggy glass while the same water dripped from his golden locks and fall into the steaming liquid in a steady rate, creating tiny ripples throughout the dark brown surface. His reverie was only interrupted when the click-clack of high heels echoed throughout the almost empty cafe. He turned to see who it was. A woman of no less than seventeen approached him, carrying a small hand towel in her arms. She had short, brown hair that reached down to her shoulders and wore a waitress outfit consisting of a white dress shirt and a black, knee-legnth pencil skirt that complimented her slim, but curvy figure. She seemed surprised when he turned and his curious, violet eyes met hers.

"I-I, um, b-brought you a t-towel to dry off," she stammered, a light pink shade taking residence on her cheeks. Abashed, the waitress handed the heated towel. The spiky-haired teenager gratefully accepted the girl's gift, his fingers casually brushing against hers. She shivered at the cold touch of his fingers and quickly withdrew her hands. After he had dried off the rainwater from his hair and body, Yami noticed her reaction and apologized with a chuckle, "Sorry, my fingers aren't exactly the most welcoming things to touch in this chilly weather, are they?"

"No, I suppose not," she replied with a light laugh. She glanced around the cafe for a moment. Since it seemed like no other customers were going to come in today, she didn't think the manager would have any problem if she took a little break...She took a seat across Yami. He certainly was a strange sight to behold--he wasn't like any customer she's ever come across, with his multi-colored bizarre hairstyle and strange accessories. Though she first saw this stranger a couple of hours ago, she had brought him in only a few minutes ago. He was out in the pouring rain, staring up at the gray, gloomy clouds with the most lonely expression she'd ever seen before. He looked like a broken dog, abandoned by his owner and having no other place to go. However, now that she got a better, closer look at him, he wasn't too shabby looking, either. Eventually, curiousity got the better of her and she decided to ask some questions to learn more about him, "So..what's your name? And what were you doing standing outside in the pouring rain for three hours straight?"

Yami's smile disappeared and he laid the now wet towel on the table, next to the mug. He glanced down at the murky depths of the coffee and stirred the liquid absentmindedly with a tiny spoon. The girl immediately regretted saying those words and wished that she could take back it all back. She was about to change the topic when Yami interrupted her: "My name is Yami.

"As for why I was standing there..that is a secret," Yami looked up and smiled a sad, mysterious smile. Their eyes met again and the waitress smiled uncertainly back, wondering if she should press the matter on or leave it at that. Luckily--or unluckily--she wasn't given the chance to choose a decision, for Yami stood up from his table and left some change on the table.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Ms. Waitress, but I must be going now," he said with a chuckle and made his way towards the entrance of the cafe. His fingers closed around the knob of the door and started to turn it before he paused and glanced behind his shoulder. "Oh, I almost forgot. How rude of me to not ask for my savior's name."

Yami released his grip and turned to face "his savior", awaiting an answer.

"T-T-Tea! The name's Tea Gardner!" she blurted out instantly. Yami laughed his hearty laugh once more before repeating the name to himself with a nod, "Tea. I'll see you around, Ms. Gardner"

The door closed with a small click and Tea was, once again, alone in the cafe.


	2. The Longing

_The Longing_

"Hey, watch it!" an angry customer hissed at Tea, dabbing at his coffee-stained shirt fervently with a napkin. The girl squealed a small "sorry!" as she wiped the liquidy mess she'd created by accidentally tripping over her own feet and spilling the boiling-hot coffee all over the customer. She was quick to clean it up and leave, avoiding the deathly glares he shot at her.

The manager had seen it all, and he presently stared at his clumsy employee while he tapped his feet impatiently. "Again, Tea?" the old man demanded as the girl passed by him with an embarassed look on her face, "That's the sixth cup this week alone!"

"Sorry, Mr. Mutou!" she apologized profusely as she made her way to the back kitchen. Tea dumped the sopping wet towel in the garbage along with the shards of the broken mug. She sincerely was sorry. Mr. Mutou had been nothing but kind to her since he took her in at the young age of four. Indeed, the only reason why she was working in this small cafe was because Mr. Mutou was her adopted father. What kind of cafe would be sane enough to hire her, the most clumsy and lazy waitress in the world, anyway? She owed him so much, and yet she has been causing nothing but trouble for the old man...

How could she help it, though, when her mind was completely invaded by thoughts of the mysterious, handsome man she'd met a month ago? Although it was a bit of a time ago, her memory of him remained fresh. His husky, charismatically deep voice, his kind yet sad violet eyes, and his chiseled arms, all of his features were deeply imprinted in her brain. She still remembered the intense curiousity she felt, too, for him. There encounter was only a few minutes long, yet she wanted to ask so many questions. Where was he from? What were his favorite bands? Why did he style his hair like that?

Why were his eyes so sad?

Why was he standing in the rain like that?

Did he have a girlfriend?

It made her blush, sometimes, when thoughts of him kept reoccuring. She felt silly, like a little elementary schoolgirl fussing and fretting over her first crush. She was approaching eighteen years now and should know better than to fantasize about some random person she just met, Tea scolded herself mentally. She was no stranger in the game of love and had a few turns a couple of times--perhaps a few turns too many. But why did this one man whom she barely met make her heart race like crazy? She sighed and leaned against the wall, a hand placed above her gently beating heart. "Be still, my heart," she murmured quietly.

"TEAAAAAAAAA!" Mr. Mutou's booming voice interrupted her thoughts and urgently called for her presence. And by the sound of it, he didn't sound too happy. Tea adjusted her heels and called back, "Okay, Mr. Mutou! I'll be right there!"

She rushed out of the kitchen while adjusting her hair and impatiently called out, "I'm here, I'm here, what do you want?"

She stopped dead in her tracks as she realized that the cafe was nearly empty save for two people, Mr. Mutou and..a spiky-haired teenager? She couldn't see his face because he was sitting with his back turned to her. Her legs felt frozen--they wouldn't budge an inch! And her heart immediately began to pound harder, too. Could it be him?

With each shaky step Tea took towards the counter, she felt her heart beat louder and louder. All at once, several thoughts hit her like a bullet train. What should she say when she got there? That she's been thinking about him for weeks? That she was glad to see him again? While she went about deciding what to say, Mr. Mutou heard her approaching and smiled, waving her over to the counter: "Come on, Tea! There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Tea froze as the mysterious figure began to turn. He smiled and said, "Hello, Tea."


End file.
